Apple News In Conversation

The Supreme Court is expected to soon hand down a ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, a case that could end affirmative action in college admissions. But professor Evan Mandery says we’re talking about the wrong issue. In his new book, Poison Ivy: How Elite Colleges Divide Us, Mandery explains how top schools disproportionately favor wealthy white students — and why that’s dangerous. Mandery spoke with Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu about the problem with elite colleges today and how to make them better.

When Bitcoin was first created, it was believed to be an untraceable form of currency. This promise attracted tons of bad actors — and it turned out to be untrue. Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu spoke with journalist Andy Greenberg about his new book, Tracers in the Dark: The Global Hunt for the Crime Lords of Cryptocurrency. Greenberg lays out how U.S. authorities used cryptocurrency tracing to take down some of the most prolific criminals on the dark web.

The majority of NFL players are Black. So how is it possible that the league has only had 20 Black head coaches since 1990 — compared to 154 white coaches? The glaring disparity is at the center of an ongoing lawsuit against the NFL brought by former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores. Washington Post reporter Michael Lee talks to Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu about this persistent problem — and how the NFL needs to change, fast. 

When longtime LA Times columnist Steve Lopez reached his mid-60s, he started to think about retiring. But he wasn’t sure how to go about it — or if he should do it all. He gave himself one year to decide and spoke with many different people — Norman Lear and Mel Brooks, among others — about their thoughts on retirement. He wrote a book about his journey, called Independence Day: What I Learned About Retirement From Some Who’ve Done It and Some Who Never Will. He spoke with Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu about how to emotionally and mentally prepare for retirement.

This is an interview from our archives. It was part of a series called Think Again — a guide to reimagining work, home, relationships, and more. In this episode, Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu talks with Aubrey Gordon and Michael Hobbes, hosts of the Maintenance Phase podcast, about how to outsmart the wellness industry, spot junk health science, and find information that will actually help you live healthier. Below are excerpts from the interview.

This is an episode from our archives.At Yale University, psychology professor Laurie Santos saw firsthand how so many college students were anxious or depressed. So she decided to teach a class on the science of happiness — and how to apply it in real life. It became the school’s most popular course ever. Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu spoke with Santos about her podcast, The Happiness Lab, and the evidence-based strategies that can help us improve our lives and outlook. Below are excerpts from the interview.

Microplastics cover every inch of our world, from the rain forest to Mount Everest — they’re even in our lungs. Much remains unknown about their impact on our health, but so far the research paints a bleak picture. In his new book, A Poison Like No Other, science journalist Matt Simon breaks down some big and small changes we can all make to mitigate our exposure to microplastics and reduce their spread. Below are excerpts from his interview with Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu.

Nobel Peace Prize–winning journalist Maria Ressa has a warning for the world. In her new book, How to Stand Up to a Dictator, Ressa lays out how social media has been weaponized to support the rise of authoritarianism in the Philippines — and why the rest of the world needs to pay attention. She spoke with Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu about the urgent actions needed to safeguard democracy today.

Cellular biology has already transformed medicine. It’s the science behind treatments like blood transfusions, in vitro fertilization (IVF), and chemotherapy. But as the field continues to develop, it keeps pushing up against one question: What’s a disease — and what’s a desire? In his new book, The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human, Pulitzer Prize–winning author and cancer researcher Siddhartha Mukherjee takes a deep dive into the perils and potential of advancing cellular science. Below are excerpts from his interview with Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu.

This is an episode from our archives. Scott McCartney has been covering the airline industry for more than two decades. He spoke with Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu about why air travel is such a mess — and what can we do about it.